Rei's First (and Last) Day of Summer
by Puru-Ai
Summary: Rei Ryghts, now free from her community service, decides to enjoy the summer. However, she only has one day left to do so. *Created for r/Gamindustri's Summer Fanfic Contest (2019).


**Rei's First (and Last) Day of Summer**

The morning summer sun shone down brightly upon the streets of Planeptune. In one such alleyway, slept the (ex-)activist, Rei Ryghts, within a cardboard box. Her eyes fluttered open, full of energy. A smile crept onto her face. Today was the day she was finally free from her community service sentence given to her after that crazy incident with Croire.

She sat up and pulled out a terribly used calender from last year. Despite being a day or two off, one thing was clear: it was the end of the summer. Now that she had repaid her debt to society, she was free to do what she pleased (as long as she could afford it, that is). She got up and walked out of the alleyway and stood in front of an electronics store to look at one of the TV's on display for the weather forecast.

_"...and that's all for sports. Now for the weather! Today's forecast is a bright and sunny 95 degrees! Better enjoy the sun while you can, because starting tomorrow the weather's gonna go right down to the 60's!"_

Rei psyched herself up. It was time to enjoy this well deserved day off! Or so she thought, until the news anchor continued speaking.

_"And that's it for midday broadcast. We'll be back at four 'o clock! Stay tuned for "Judge Millie."_

Rei's eyes grew wide with surprise. Half the day was already gone! She had to find some way to spend this final day of summer, and fast. She took a moment to think about some way she could spend the day. Suddenly, she remembered that there was going to be a street fair in Planeptune that handed out free pudding. Which was perfect for her, since she was pretty much completely broke.

The young woman made her way over to the fair as fast as she could, eager to get herself some of Planeptune's favorite pudding. They say it was blessed by the grace of Lady Purple Heart herself, and that in all her infallible wisdom, helped create the greatest pudding in all of Gamindustri, completely on time. She waited in line in the scorching heat until it was finally her turn with a smile on her face.

"_Sorry, we're all out."_

Rei's smile turned upside down as the street fair came to a close around her. Trying to maintain a positive attitude, she tried to come up with another idea. The beach, of course! She could use some more Vitamin D. Off she went, to the vibrant beaches of Leanbox, by boat.

Luckily, thanks to the clever advances in Leanbox technology, it took only a minute to travel from Planeptune to Leanbox territory. Rei skipped over to the beach with glee, eager to get some R&R in the sun. When she arrived, she went on over to the changing stalls to get into her swimsuit. Then, she realized:

_She didn't own a swimsuit._

And she couldn't afford one either. She sighed and exited the stall, taking one last look at the beach before leaving. What else could she do to spend the day? Time was running out, and she had to think fast. Ah, of course! She could go to the famous Lowee amusement park, Super Ninten-Land! Rei had heard about the latest in Leanbox-Loweean technology, "The Mineshaft", an underground tunnel connecting both nations via an extensive mineshaft. She heard about it since some of her community service work included doing some of the mining.

Miraculously, she was able to use it without much of a hitch. Though, she had to ride in the last cart of a chain of carts, squished next to a dogoo. By the time she got off, there was goo stuck in her clothing. Not wasting any time, she made her way over the Super Ninten-Land.

When she arrived, there were many rides to choose form. And being the last day of the summer, the place was completely packed. There were many rides to choose from, like the Maryo Pipe Maze, the Wack-A-Pocketed Monstrosity, and Lady White Heart's Super Slam; all of which had massive lines. With time running out, Rei decided to try out the latter ride. The ride consisted of a large pod people would get inside and strap themselves in, which was then hit by a large replica of blanc's hammer that sent the pod flying into the air, and then back down into the ground. Hours passed as the scorching heat began to die down as the sun began to set. Finally, it was Rei's turn.

"_Sorry ma'am, park's closing."_

Rei's right eye twitched. She'd had ENOUGH. She was going to enjoy what was left of this day, no matter what. She shoved her way past the teenaged underpaid park worker and went over to the control panel and raised the ride's speed to eleven before getting into the pod.

"Wait a minute, you can't just- Oh, whatever."

A huge replica of Blanc's hammer wound up for a few seconds before slamming into the pod, sending flying into the air. It quickly reached the intended height limit, and went on, and on, and on… blasting off, out of sight, like a member of Pocketed Monstrosity's Team Racket.

Rei panicked as the pod spun around like crazy. If she were able to afford food, it would probably have made a mess of the place just about now. Eventually, she lost consciousness.

When Rei awoke, there was smoke everywhere. She coughed as she exited the pod, into the night. Confused, Rei looked around to try to figure out where she was. The distinctive, giant satellite of Lastation could be seen in the distance. She had crashed into a hill overlooking the main city. She sighed and sat on the grass next to the wreckage in fetal position, accepting her fate. She closed her eyes and was ready to just fall asleep right then and there. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see a shocked face staring back at her.

"Hey, is it okay if I sit here? I have some pudding we could share!", she said. It was none other than Planeptune's CPU Candidate's doppelganger, Nepgya. Rei was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to react to such kindness. She nodded reluctantly and Nepgya sat down next to her on the grass and opened the pudding she had with her. "We're just in time! The show's about to start!", Nepgya said in a cheerful tone. Rei, confused, did not know what exactly the "show" was. She soon found her answer.

Fireworks began to shoot into the sky and explode in a wonderfully colorful fashion. The spot the pair was sitting in was absolutely perfect. The pudding they shared was sweet and delicious. The summer breeze was cool and refreshing. Having someone to spend time with felt warm and pleasant. Rei smiled to herself.

"_Everything… will be alright."_


End file.
